Mojo

Sun comes up. Sun goes down.

What happens between these daily celestial events most often determines whether or not we achieve our goals. What we do with available daylight. Use it or abuse it.

Running on motivational fumes of late, I was (again) inspired by the performances of several of my friends out in Coeur d'Alene Sunday. Yes, it's an Ironman thing. Unless you have been out there for a day on the battlefield, you just don't know what it is like. Worse, there are no words (that I have found) to describe the intense feelings and emotions that take place over 140.6 miles. When my words fail to properly articulate I resort to photographs. When they fail I turn to video. Sometimes the latter works, but sadly, more often than not, even high-def digital merely scratches the surface, leaving a void that can only be filled by doing.

Doing. And there lies the rub. You can't just go out and do an Ironman like you would wash your car or do the laundry. You have to practice three disciplines individually in continual rotation until they are capable of providing you with the desired results. Sometimes that means years of training. Just to finish an IM. A hundred miles in the pool. A thousand on the bike and more miles on the road than only a Tarahumara would appreciate.

Between all that, of course, is the time necessary to properly rest and recover, the typical 9-5 job, and maybe even some semblance of a family or social life.

Are there enough hours in the day for all this?

Yes. But you have to use them all.

You need to be smart, manage it well, have a plan, and be super motivated. That's all (except for luck and good DNA).

Yesterday as I sat happy for the CdA accomplishments of my pals, knowing what they had to endure to succeed, I took an updated look at my goals, my plans and my aspirations, this after a painful day with the median nerve in right elbow sending unrelenting currents of 220 pain to the far neurons inside this decaying sac of carbon. I could't raise a coffee mug let alone swim 2.4. Still…..

I took a quick look at the Kona qualifying times for a few IM events in the AG category I will age into next year. Just to see what the geezers have been up to. My PB is 11:02. Realistically, my last IMC was 11:15, and although I think I can repeat that, I'll take a ten minute age mulligan for this drill. Here are the winning times:

IM Florida: 11:38

IM Canada: 11:03 (2nd: 11:28)

IM CdA: 11:38

IM Lake Placid: 11:42

IM Texas: 11:32

Alright, that didn't take long. Mo is back. I can do another 11:15. My bike is stronger, my run quicker as a result of the mysterious loss of 15 pounds of excess fat. All I gotta do is get back in the pool and crank out a couple hundred laps. And lose this mouse elbow thing. And stay focused. And stay healthy. And stretch more. And finish the pizza oven. And…..

Sun is up. Time to get to work. Thanks Mojo.

Video is from the RCVman YouTube collection. Shot in Coeur d'Alene 2009.